Alyson (right) with Darlene, at a restaurant.
by Morgan Banta-Ryan
As a senior in high school, Alyson applied and received a scholarship from BCArc. Today, three years later, she is an assistant manager of a program.
When asked about her favorite memory from working at BCArc, Alyson can’t pick just one. She loves everything from working one-on-one with individuals with disabilities to bigger trips out into the community. Alyson began working as a relief worker in 2018 — she subbed for other staff across the 43 locations — and has worked her way up to assistant manager in only three years.
She describes her transition from relief staff to assistant manager as “a big jump.” For Alyson, the biggest challenge of stepping up into this new position is that she is “known as a co-worker, not a manager.” But her leadership skills kicked in during the pandemic, and her new role in management started to feel natural quickly.
Noting that the craziness of the pandemic taught her how to keep cool in stormy times, she described all the adjustments her and her team had to make, including wearing masks, doing temperature checks, dealing with doctor’s offices being closed, and so much more.
“Working with individuals with disabilities has really opened my eyes. I’ve realized how great life is.”
Alyson says she is proud of the difference she has made in the lives of the individuals she serves. If she could, she says she would change “everything” about the way that people with disabilities are portrayed. “A part of me is interested in taking care of them as best as I can, and another part of me is keen on changing the perception the public has of people with disabilities. I’d like to make an impact on both levels.”
In her early days working relief, she remember thinking: “Working with individuals with disabilities has really opened my eyes. I’ve realized how great life is.”
When she applied for the BCArc scholarship three years ago, she wrote that she thought about the individual’s often when not at work, and on her days off she’ll stop by the house or text a co-worker to see how everyone is doing. ‘That feeling hasn’t really stopped.”
